527: Chapter 527 Nine Stars Returning to Origin Secret Ritual

The night was as dark as ink, and the moonlight was like a ribbon of silk.

Inside the guest room deep within the peach blossom grove, the lamplight was warm and tranquil.

Ling Hao wore only a loose black silk robe, sitting cross-legged on the couch with his eyes slightly closed, concentrating on looking inward.

The Qi of the Peak of the fifth layer of the Mahayana Realm rotated slowly within him like a vast nebula, majestic yet restrained. With every rotation, a faint glimmer of spiritual light seeped out from the surface of his skin, only to be swallowed by the black silk robe.

A moment later, soft, pattering footsteps and low whispers drifted from outside the door, like a warm spring breeze brushing against flower branches—light, soft, and moist.

Ling Hao opened his eyes and said calmly, "Come in."

The door was gently pushed open, and four graceful figures entered quietly like orchids under the moonlight.

The four women had clearly just bathed; the tips of their hair were still damp with moisture, sticking in wisps to the napes of their necks and the sides of their ears.

Baili Rou had changed into a light green dress made of fabric as thin as mist, outlining her slender, supple waistline; she was gentle and moving.

Zhu Jin was dressed in red like fire, her collar slightly open, with a few un-wiped water droplets at her collarbone glistening in the candlelight.

Bai Zhi wore a moon-white shirt, looking as cold and pure as snow, yet her cheeks were flushed with a thin layer of red, like a peach blossom petal fallen upon snow.

Shu Lan wore a goose-yellow garment, lively as a fledgling bird in spring, with a freshly picked peach branch pinned in her hair, her eyes curved in a smile that she could not hide.

The cheeks of all four women were tinged with red, their eyes shimmering with moisture. They did not dare to look directly at the robust, captivating male figure before them, casting only a hurried glance before lowering their heads and bowing gracefully in accordance with etiquette:

"Sect Master, we have arrived."

Ling Hao smiled. "Raise your heads."

The four women slowly raised their heads, their gazes falling before him.

There, a five-inch long, purplish-red jade pestle hovered in the air. The pestle body was as silent as ancient jade, with only fine Dao patterns faintly visible on its surface, like a sleeping Dragon curled deep within the clouds.

Baili Rou spoke softly, "Sect Master, how do you wish for us to assist you?"

Ling Hao raised his hand and pointed to the jade pestle: "You all should have practiced the 'Cherry Lip Spirit-Crossing Method'. The 'Nine-Star Origin-Returning Secret Rite' requires borrowing your Pure Yin Qi to nourish the 'Nine-Star Apertures' within the pestle, helping it awaken its Origin. Just follow the incantation and proceed step by step. Once the Spirit Treasure is initially formed, I will use the Spirit Treasure as a basis to guide you in the way of Qi circulation."

"We obey the Sect Master's will."

Baili Rou knelt in front, gently holding the base of the jade pestle with both hands. She took a deep breath, parted her lips, and pressed her soft lips close to the tip of the pestle, chanting the incantation as gently as a flowing stream:

"The mysterious spring surges forth, moistening all things without a sound. Tongue against the Tiantu, Qi knocking at the Earth Gate..."

She articulated softly, her breath like orchids, the warm mist she exhaled carrying Pure Yin True Qi, which seeped into the tip of the pestle in wisps.

The jade pestle trembled slightly, and the layer of silent Dao patterns on its surface emitted a warm, moist white light. It actually grew by an inch on its own, feeling slightly warm to the touch.

Ling Hao sensed the changes within the pestle and nodded with satisfaction: "Rou'er, your aura is warm and enduring, perfectly fitting the essence of the word 'moisten'. But do not be impatient; the Yin and Yang Pestle is my life-bound Spirit Treasure, and its backlash is not easy to endure."

Baili Rou's cheeks flushed slightly, her breathing steady: "Yes... Rou'er understands."

She steadied her mind and continued to nourish it with Pure Yin Qi. Before long, another halo of light lit up on the surface of the jade pestle; the second star, 'Fullness', had been reached.

Ling Hao looked at Zhu Jin: "Zhu Jin."

Zhu Jin understood immediately and moved to kneel beside Baili Rou.

Her red lips parted slightly, her breath scorching, and her chanting carried a hint of sticky sweetness: "Li Fire spreads across the plains, tongue moving like a Dragon or snake... rolling through mist and swallowing clouds... refining the true form."

Her aura, like flames, swept over the body of the pestle. The patterns on the surface of the jade pestle lit up layer by layer, turning from translucent white to pale gold, exuding a solid texture.

The third star, 'Vajra', was reached! Now, the Yin and Yang Pestle felt like warm jade to the touch, and when tapped, it emitted a faint sound of metal.

Time flowed slowly amidst the low chanting. The cold and reticent Bai Zhi had been quietly observing the changes in the jade pestle when she suddenly spoke: "Sect Master, the Qi has reached the sign of 'Blazing Yang'; it needs to... transform fire into Qi."

Ling Hao nodded.

Bai Zhi immediately knelt to the left, her aura as steady and dense as flames. Her fingertips swept across the patterns on the middle of the pestle, her chanting clear and powerful: "Kan Water condenses essence, teeth knocking with a metallic sound. The depth is self-regulated... solidifying the foundation and nourishing the Origin..."

The three women, one in front and one on each side, surrounded the jade pestle that was gradually growing.

When the fourth star, 'Blazing Yang', was reached, the pestle became scorching hot, and even the surrounding air was steamed into a fine mist.

Shu Lan knelt at the back, her ten fingers pressing lightly on the base of the pestle, her fingertips trembling slightly as she muttered: "Xun Wind enters the gaps, breath forming a vortex. The Nine Palaces rotate, Dao patterns manifest..."

At this point, the four women surrounded the jade pestle, each chanting their own incantation. Pure Yin True Qi surged from their lips, teeth, fingers, and palms, separated into the colors of cyan, red, white, and yellow, flowing into the pestle like four thin streams.

The jade pestle grew in response, instantly reaching over seven inches, its entire body shimmering with five-colored rays of light. To the touch, it was as hard as jade marrow, and its temperature gradually rose.

At the top of the pestle, a drop of crystalline jade dew condensed, emitting an exotic fragrance.

Shu Lan exclaimed softly: "Ah! The pestle aperture can actually condense 'Heavenly One True Water' on its own!"

She touched the drop of jade dew with her fingertip, put it into her mouth, and sipped it. Her beautiful eyes brightened: "It's sweet and refreshing to the spleen! I feel my Realm has been solidified a bit."

With the increasingly tacit cooperation of the four women, the fifth star, 'Moistening', and the sixth star, 'Flowing Light', were also achieved naturally.

The Yin and Yang Pestle was now crystal clear, shimmering with flowing light, revealing the signs of the seventh star, 'Spirit Tune'—the pestle body curved slightly, like an arc of light ready to be unleashed.

Ling Hao sensed the aura of the jade pestle and said slowly: "The time has come. You four, find your respective positions, use the pestle as the pivot, and circulate your Qi."

His gaze fell on the four of them: "Rou'er, use the 'Dragon Soaring in the Abyss' technique; Zhu Jin, use 'Phoenix Singing to the Morning Sun'; Bai Zhi, use 'Turtle Breath Sinking to Land'; Shu Lan, use 'Crane Dancing in Pine Waves'. Combine the four techniques to help the jade pestle reach Perfection."

The four women followed his instructions. Baili Rou lay on her back in front, her hands forming a seal placed on her lower abdomen, with the jade pestle hovering three inches above it, connected by Qi.

Zhu Jin crouched sideways to the right, her knees slightly bent, her fingertips resting on her knees, her aura condensed into a thin line of fire;

Bai Zhi leaned forward to the left, her back flattened like a turtle shell, her breathing long and steady;

Shu Lan knelt at the back, her waist slightly twisted, like a crane standing on a pine treetop.

Through the guidance of their Qi, the four operated their corresponding Mind-Cultivation Techniques. The room was suddenly filled with surging Qi waves, the candlelight flickering violently, casting shifting, unstable shadows throughout the room.

Under the traction of the four streams of Qi, the Yin and Yang Pestle flew between the four of them, its light becoming increasingly bright and dazzling.

The four women chanted the incantation simultaneously, their voices overlapping to form a mysterious resonance within the pavilion, causing even the window lattices to tremble slightly.

Before long, Baili Rou's breathing became rapid, sweat appeared on her forehead, and she suddenly let out a muffled groan: "Sect Master... the Qi within the pestle is too strong, Rou'er... cannot bear it..."

Her delicate body trembled slightly, and a pale golden Dragon shadow appeared around her. The Dragon shadow circled her body, but it seemed to be imprisoned by some invisible force, unable to stretch.

"Gather your mind and calm your Qi!" Ling Hao shouted in a deep voice, immediately urging his own Qi. "I will have them help you!"

Following the Dragon shadow, a phantom wing of a Fire Phoenix appeared behind Zhu Jin; Bai Zhi's spine glowed segment by segment like tiger stripes; clouds formed beneath Shu Lan's feet like a dancing crane. The four streams of Qi were connected through the jade pestle, forming a rotating Yin and Yang Qi vortex.

Amidst the flowing rays of light, the four phantoms of the Dragon, Phoenix, Turtle, and Crane rotated and alternated within the room, illuminating it with flickering light.

In less than the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, Baili Rou was the first to let out a soft cry. The Dragon shadow around her exploded, and she collapsed to the floor, drenched in fragrant sweat, but her aura was more rounded and profound than before.

Beneath the Yin and Yang Pestle, Zhu Jin, Bai Zhi, and Shu Lan also had their Qi stabilize one after another. They sat down, their faces rosy, still carrying a hint of lingering trance.

After absorbing the Pure Yin Qi of the four women, the Yin and Yang Pestle shone brightly. When the rays of light restrained, the Dao patterns on the pestle body turned purple-gold, with the faint sound of wind and thunder circulating within.

However, although it had reached the Peak of the seventh star, it was still unable to open the eighth aperture to advance further.

Baili Rou and the other three women struggled to sit up, their faces full of apology: "Sect Master... we were unable to help more."

"Sect Master... it is that we are too useless."

... Ling Hao was about to wave his hand and say it didn't matter when the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.